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ROCKINGHAM, NC – Scotty Cannon made his career national event debut two decades ago at Rockingham Dragway and his opening lap should have been a clue the numbers were loaded in his favor. An obscure bracket racer, Cannon wheeled his mountain-motored 1941 Willys to a 7.77 elapsed time at 177 miles per hour. Still the most victorious Pro Modified driver in history after a decade since the last victory, the numbers don’t lie.
Cannon has an opportunity to make a second debut during the next week’s IHRA Spring Nationals in Rockingham , NC .
Cannon, an iconic Pro Modified figure and former driver of a nitro Funny Car, returns to the Carolinas for the first time as a Top Fuel driver. The six-time world champion is off to a thundering start with a semi-final finish behind the wheel of Evan Knoll’s Seelye-Wright-sponsored Top Fuel dragster two weeks ago in San Antonio , Texas .
“It’s always a treat to race in Rockingham,” Cannon, 44, of Lyman , South Carolina said. “I consider this to be my hometown race on the IHRA side and with it I have a lot of memories. When I first started drag racing, one of the places you always dreamed of racing at was Rockingham. This is going to be exciting.”
Cannon has a lot to be excited about with his rapid progression to the upper echelon of the Knoll Gas Nitro Jam’s premier professional division. His 4.851, 299.00 put him atop the eight-car field in his first “official” Top Fuel run.
Racing operations were reduced the next day to an eighth-mile course and Cannon’s low qualifying effort was reduced to a #2 seeding. Cannon, a veteran of racing on smaller eighth-mile venues, took the unavoidable situation in stride but not without injecting humor into the mix.
"I could have stayed at home and raced eighth-mile,” Cannon said. “They had a track condition and by doing that made it safer. I liked eighth-mile until it took away my first low qualifier in seven years. I got bumped to number two because the sun came up.”
Cannon concluded qualifying as the fourth quickest and defeated Bobby Lagana, Jr., in the first round before untimely breakage caused him to miss the call in the semis.
“We just ran out of time,” Cannon said. “It wasn’t for lack of effort. We had a problem with oil pressure during the warm-up and we chased every potential problem we suspected. By the time we found it and started to roll to the lines, our opponent was firing for the burnout.
“It was frustrating but racing is a business. Going out to race when you know you’re going to hurt something just doesn’t make sense. It’s just the right thing to do. There will be other races … 11 more … and I’m sure we will have other opportunities.
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Cannon is sponsored by Evan Knoll’s Torco Race Fuels and Seelye-Wright Automotive Group.
The Seelye – Wright name carries every American manufacturer from General Motors to Ford to Mopar. They also have a prosperous Kia dealership and plan to add the Hyundai brand soon. Wright has been in business for over 25 years. Knoll became a partner in the thriving business last year.
For more information, visit Seelye Wright Automotive Group - Locations in Paw Paw, Kalamazoo, South Haven and Battle Creek, Michigan
Torco Race Fuels – Torco Racing Fuels
CANNON CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS FOR ROCKINGHAM TOP FUEL DEBUT
ROCKINGHAM, NC – Scotty Cannon made his career national event debut two decades ago at Rockingham Dragway and his opening lap should have been a clue the numbers were loaded in his favor. An obscure bracket racer, Cannon wheeled his mountain-motored 1941 Willys to a 7.77 elapsed time at 177 miles per hour. Still the most victorious Pro Modified driver in history after a decade since the last victory, the numbers don’t lie.
Cannon has an opportunity to make a second debut during the next week’s IHRA Spring Nationals in Rockingham , NC .
Cannon, an iconic Pro Modified figure and former driver of a nitro Funny Car, returns to the Carolinas for the first time as a Top Fuel driver. The six-time world champion is off to a thundering start with a semi-final finish behind the wheel of Evan Knoll’s Seelye-Wright-sponsored Top Fuel dragster two weeks ago in San Antonio , Texas .
“It’s always a treat to race in Rockingham,” Cannon, 44, of Lyman , South Carolina said. “I consider this to be my hometown race on the IHRA side and with it I have a lot of memories. When I first started drag racing, one of the places you always dreamed of racing at was Rockingham. This is going to be exciting.”
Cannon has a lot to be excited about with his rapid progression to the upper echelon of the Knoll Gas Nitro Jam’s premier professional division. His 4.851, 299.00 put him atop the eight-car field in his first “official” Top Fuel run.
Racing operations were reduced the next day to an eighth-mile course and Cannon’s low qualifying effort was reduced to a #2 seeding. Cannon, a veteran of racing on smaller eighth-mile venues, took the unavoidable situation in stride but not without injecting humor into the mix.
"I could have stayed at home and raced eighth-mile,” Cannon said. “They had a track condition and by doing that made it safer. I liked eighth-mile until it took away my first low qualifier in seven years. I got bumped to number two because the sun came up.”
Cannon concluded qualifying as the fourth quickest and defeated Bobby Lagana, Jr., in the first round before untimely breakage caused him to miss the call in the semis.
“We just ran out of time,” Cannon said. “It wasn’t for lack of effort. We had a problem with oil pressure during the warm-up and we chased every potential problem we suspected. By the time we found it and started to roll to the lines, our opponent was firing for the burnout.
“It was frustrating but racing is a business. Going out to race when you know you’re going to hurt something just doesn’t make sense. It’s just the right thing to do. There will be other races … 11 more … and I’m sure we will have other opportunities.
##
Cannon is sponsored by Evan Knoll’s Torco Race Fuels and Seelye-Wright Automotive Group.
The Seelye – Wright name carries every American manufacturer from General Motors to Ford to Mopar. They also have a prosperous Kia dealership and plan to add the Hyundai brand soon. Wright has been in business for over 25 years. Knoll became a partner in the thriving business last year.
For more information, visit Seelye Wright Automotive Group - Locations in Paw Paw, Kalamazoo, South Haven and Battle Creek, Michigan
Torco Race Fuels – Torco Racing Fuels
